April 02, 2005

North Sea warming

Many warm water species are moving into the North Sea: whales, dolphins, squid, sea bass, red mullet, pilchards and anchovies, sea cucumbers and velvet crabs. What are the implications for fishing?

www.guardian.co.uk/fish/story/0,7369,1450802,00.html?gusrc=rss

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk

Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:47 AM | TrackBack

October 07, 2004

More flexibility on North Sea fishing?

I don’t really understand the fishing question. It seem that there are three points of view. The first is that fish stocks are so low that fishing must be curtailed, the second that fish stocks are not so low so they don’t have to be curtailed (or not so much), and the third is that the fish have gone north because of climate change, the implications of which are not clear to me.

At any rate, there was some good news today with the appointment of the Maltese, Joe Borg, as Europe’s new fisheries commissioner. He indicated greater flexibility on the issue in the future. Scottish fishermen will be able to take part in a new North Sea Regional Advisory Council that will have a voice in policy making.

The irony of Malta, with a population of less than Edinburgh, having a European commissioner with power over one of Scotland’s vital interests, was not lost on Mike Weir MP of the SNP.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3719032.stm

www.snp.org/index_hires.php?pageName=news/newsdetail.php?newsID=2484

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3694390.stm

www.cefas.co.uk/homepage.htm

europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/policy_en.htm

Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:08 AM